Magnesium chromate is a chemical compound, with the formula . It is a yellow, odorless, water-soluble salt with several important industrial uses. This chromate can be manufactured as a powder.

History

Before 1940, the literature about magnesium chromate and its hydrates was sparse, but studies starting in that year looked at its properties and solubility.

Uses

It is available commercially in a variety of powders, from nanoscale to

micron The micrometre (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: μm) or micrometer (American English), also commonly known by the non-SI term micron, is a uni ...

-sized, either as an

anhydrous A substance is anhydrous if it contains no water. Many processes in chemistry can be impeded by the presence of water; therefore, it is important that water-free reagents and techniques are used. In practice, however, it is very difficult to achie ...

hydrate In chemistry, a hydrate is a substance that contains water or its constituent elements. The chemical state of the water varies widely between different classes of hydrates, some of which were so labeled before their chemical structure was understo ...

d form. As a hydrate, it is useful as a corrosion inhibitor and pigment, or as an ingredient in

cosmetics Cosmetics are substances that are intended for application to the body for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering appearance. They are mixtures of chemical compounds derived from either Natural product, natural source ...

. In 2011, an undecahydrate (containing 11 molecules of water) of this compound was discovered by scientists at the

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

Hazards

Magnesium chromate hydrate should be stored at

room temperature Room temperature, colloquially, denotes the range of air temperatures most people find comfortable indoors while dressed in typical clothing. Comfortable temperatures can be extended beyond this range depending on humidity, air circulation, and ...

, and there is no current therapeutic use. It is a confirmed

carcinogen A carcinogen () is any agent that promotes the development of cancer. Carcinogens can include synthetic chemicals, naturally occurring substances, physical agents such as ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, and biologic agents such as viruse ...

, and can cause acute dermititis, and possibly kidney and liver damage if inhaled, so it should be treated as a

hazardous waste Hazardous waste is waste that must be handled properly to avoid damaging human health or the environment. Waste can be hazardous because it is Toxicity, toxic, Chemical reaction, reacts violently with other chemicals, or is Corrosion, corrosive, ...

References

{{Chromates and dichromates Magnesium compounds Chromates